


The Nice List

by the_only_education_worth_having



Category: Actor RPF, American Actor RPF
Genre: Christmas in retail., Flirting, Gen, Jerks in Retail, Kids, Mall Santa - Freeform, Unsolicited abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21558238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_only_education_worth_having/pseuds/the_only_education_worth_having
Summary: Is Chris naughty or nice?
Relationships: Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Character(s), Chris Evans (Actor)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	The Nice List

‘Uncle Chris, I’m bored,’ whined Isabelle tugging on his jeans as she looked up at him with big doe eyes.  
‘C’mon Iz, surely you don’t mind waiting a bit to meet Santa?’  
‘It’s too long!’ she whined looking as if she were about to throw a major tantrum. Her brother Mike rolled his eyes as he stood patiently waiting next to Chris and the stroller which held Chris’ youngest nephew, Teddy.  
‘Santa needs to have a little break now and then he’ll be out soon and the line will move again okay?’ Chris said but his reasoning fell on deaf ears.

As he spoke there was noise up ahead where the movement had started again. Santa emerged from his grotto and the line of parents which looked as if it spanned the length of the mall breathed a sigh of relief. The line moved slowly and Santa made his way through dozens of children, hearing their wishes and having pictures taken. As the line moved Chris got a better look at Santa. He looked to be his age but he was unkempt and looked bored. The suit wasn’t maintained well and he seemed to have put no effort into it at all. Chris sighed, it was just his luck to take his nieces and nephews to the most low rent Santa in town. As the kids grew bored and Teddy grew restless in his stroller all Chris could hope was that it wouldn’t take much longer and they could get out of there as soon as possible. 

They were one person from the front. The end was well and truly in sight when suddenly Santa stood up and headed inside his grotto once more. His elf heaved an audible sigh before putting on a bright smile and stepping towards the line of people. ‘Hey, kids! Sorry for the delay but Santa needs a little break! He won’t be long. In the meantime make sure to stop by our Grottos’ food truck and buy something to drink,’ she smiled though Chris could tell it was false. He was irked but he knew it wasn’t her fault and so with a heavy heart, he looked down and told the kids they would have to wait once more. The man in front of them didn’t take the news as well though.

‘Excuse me _elf_ ,’ he said loud enough for others to notice and the chatter in the line to die down. She looked towards him and plastered on another fake smile before walking forward, ‘hello sir, how can I help?’  
‘You can help by telling Santa to get his fat ass off a cocoa break and out here to meet my kids. We haven’t got all day y’know!’ he said in a harsh tone.  
‘I’m sorry sir but this time of year Santa is very busy. So in between meeting the kids here, he has to catch up on work from the North Pole,’ she said, ‘he’ll be out as soon as he can I promise.’

‘Pfft,’ the man scoffed turning to other parents in the queue some of which seemed to be sharing his frustrations. This egged him on. He turned towards Chris, looking for an ally, and said, ‘can’t believe she’s still spinning that Santa crap when we all know she’s covering for some guy who can’t go an hour without smokes.’  
‘It’s still not her fault,’ Chris said with quiet indignance before raising his tone, ‘besides the elf is just doing her job man.’  
‘Excuse me,’ the guy said turning around, ‘what’s that supposed to mean?’  
Chris could feel eyes on him. The guy’s words had been heard and it had lured other parents to stare. Over the guy’s shoulder he could see Santa’s elf watching him curiously.   
‘I’m just saying man. There are kids here. Everyone’s doing their jobs, you can’t blame someone for the wait. It’s expected right?’  
‘You don’t think I know that?’  
‘If you did you wouldn’t be shouting at an elf in the middle of a mall with a hundred kids around. With _your_ kids around.’  
‘I’ll do what I want around my kids,’ he spat.  
‘Maybe I don’t want you doing it around _my_ kids,’ Chris challenged.  
‘What are you gonna do tough guy?’ The man said shoving Chris’ shoulder. Chris rolled his tongue under his bottom lip but did nothing. If this was any other setting, if the kids weren’t right there he’d have torn that guy a new one. But ruining hundreds of kids Christmases wasn’t his style.

The man turned around just as Santa re-emerged and his elf made her way to the velvet rope that separated the crowd from Santa’s chair. The kids ran towards Santa and threw themselves on him while the man moved slowly past the elf before leaning in and whispering something to her that Chris couldn’t hear. It made his blood boil once more. He could only imagine what filth that guy spewed. Pretty soon they had disappeared into the mall and it was the Evans’ turn. Santa’s elf allowed the kids to talk one by one and held Teddy for the duration who looked at him in awe, happy to be out of his stroller. As they listed every item they wanted for Christmas and took formal pictures with the big man, that were sure to cost Chris a pretty penny, Chris waited by the rope with the elf by his side.

‘Thanks for standing up for me before,’ she said trying to look as if she weren’t talking to a customer out of turn.  
‘No problem,’ Chris said looking at her. Though the felt green costume, striped tights and belled slippers weren’t the sexiest outfit on the planet Chris had to admit, she was cute.  
‘That guy was a jackass.’  
‘Yeah well, he’s the 562nd jackass of the day and I think you’re the 1st nice guy I’ve had through here like ever.’  
‘Not even Santa?’ Chris said feigning shock.  
‘Santa’s bottom of the naughty list,’ she chuckled. As the guys wrapped up their time Izzy beckoned Chris to take a picture with them to which he obliged. 

As they finished the elf came towards them and offered them three small presents from Santa’s sack and a candy cane for Chris. He smiled at the girl but before he could say anything else she was gone, beckoning the other families through. Chris made his way out of the grotto collected the photos. Izzy and Mike then begged him to buy some sweets and hot chocolate and he caved, though it left him $35 lighter. After they were full and happy the group made their way back to the car.

As Chris pulled up at a stoplight he looked at the kids in the back, all strapped into their car seats their heads touching as the exhaustion of a day out meeting Santa caught up with them and they had fallen asleep. He smiled.

Noticing the candy cane on the passenger seat where he’d flung it he reached over and grabbed it. There was a tag on it.

 _You’re definitely top of my nice list._  
Your favourite Elf   
(+1-555-9650-084)  
Xx

Chris smiled to himself. That wasn’t such a lousy trip after all. 


End file.
